What a leisure lodge actually is
A leisure lodge is a timber-clad holiday home built for leisure use. It is larger and higher specification than a static caravan, with proper insulation, a fitted kitchen and usually two or three bedrooms, so inside it feels far more like a house than a caravan. It sits on a pitch at a holiday or leisure park, and it is there for holidays, weekends and breaks.
What makes it a lodge, and not a caravan or a park home
In law a lodge is still a caravan if it stays within the size limits (up to 20m by 6.8m), which is why you will hear the two words used together. What sets a lodge apart is the specification: the size, the timber cladding and the house-like finish. A park home is a different thing again, built to a residential standard for permanent living. If you want the full side by side, we have a separate guide on lodge vs static caravan vs park home.
One thing worth clearing up, because it catches people out: how a lodge is built and what you are allowed to do with it are two separate questions. A lodge can be built to a very high standard and still sit on a leisure pitch. Whether you can live somewhere permanently comes down to the park’s licence, not the quality of the lodge.
Open all year, yours whenever you like
Where a park holds a 12-month leisure licence, like Bawtry, it stays open all year round, so your lodge is yours to use whenever you like, high summer or the middle of winter. It is a leisure park rather than a full-time address, which for most owners is exactly the point: a proper place of their own to escape to, without the ties and running costs of a second house.
Who a leisure lodge suits
It suits people who want a proper bolt-hole without the price or the upkeep of a second house: somewhere for weekends and holidays, a base near family, or a quiet spot to slow down for a few days at a time. Because a good park is open all year, you are not limited to the summer, and because you own the lodge, it is there waiting whenever you fancy it.
Leisure lodges at Bawtry
Bawtry Lodge Country Park is a family-run leisure park in Austerfield, near Bawtry, open all year round. We sell new leisure lodges with the price on every one, so you can see exactly where you stand before you call. Have a look at the lodges for sale, see what is available in Yorkshire, or when you are ready read our guide to buying a lodge.
See the lodges for sale, every one priced up front.
Is a leisure lodge the same as a holiday lodge?
Yes, in practice the terms mean the same thing: a high-specification holiday home built for leisure use. You will see "leisure lodge" and "holiday lodge" used interchangeably.
How big is a leisure lodge?
A lodge can be up to 20 metres by 6.8 metres and still count as a twin-unit caravan in law. In practice that means a spacious, house-like layout, usually with two or three bedrooms, an open-plan living space and a proper kitchen.
Can you use a leisure lodge in winter?
Yes, where the park is open all year. Most modern leisure lodges are designed for year-round use and typically come with insulation, double glazing and central heating, though the exact specification varies by model, so it is always worth checking the individual lodge. Bawtry Lodge Country Park runs a 12-month leisure licence and is open all year round, so there is no time of year when you are shut out.
What is a lodge?
A lodge is a timber-clad, single-storey holiday home built for leisure use on a lodge park. It is larger and higher specification than a static caravan and much closer to a house inside, with proper insulation, full-size rooms and a fitted kitchen and bathroom. At Bawtry the lodges are leisure lodges, bought for holiday and leisure use on a 12-month licence.